Stitching machine



April 27, 1948. w. R. SPILLER ET AL STITCHING MACHINE Filed July 20,1944 V 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Apr. 27, 1948 STITCHING MACHINE-William R. Spiller and Robert J. Niederhauser, Dayton, Ohio, assignors,by mesne assignments,

to Acme Steel Company, Chicago, 111., a

poration of Illinois Application July 20, 1944, Serial No. 545,863

9 Claims. 1

This invention relates towire stitching machines.

It is the principal object of the invention to provide a wire stitchingmachine having a movable post which is power actuated to its operativeposition and in which the stitching operation can be performed under thecontrol of the operator only after the post has been moved fully intosuch operative position.

It is a further object to provide a mechanism for effecting the movementof the post which is simple and inexpensive in construction, which ispositive and accurate in operation, and which securely holds the post inoperative position against the forces encountered during the stitchingoperation.

It is a still further object to provide a control for an automatic poststitching machine which provides for the forming and driving of stitchesonly after the post has been moved fully into its operative position andin which a number of stitches can be made under the operators controlwhile the post remains in such operative position.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription, the accompanying drawing and the appended claims.

In the drawing, 7

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a stitching machine constructed inaccordance with the present invention with certain parts being brokenaway to show' the construction and with the several positions of thefoot treadle marked with'legends to indicate the correspondingoperationsof the machine;

Fig. 2 is a broken side elevational View through the lower part of themachine showing the mechanism for actuating the post to its twopositions;

Fig. 3 is a broken plan view showing the same mechanism; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the circuit control mechanism which isutilized for securing the proper operation of the machine.

Referring to the drawing which discloses a preferred embodiment of theinvention, the machine is shown as having a main frame including a baseportion 10, an upwardly projecting pedestal -II, and an overhangingheadI2. The drive motor I4 is mounted in the rear portion of the head and isbelt connected to a driven pulley l5 which may be clutch controlled tooperate the main drive shaft IS. The clutch control member is shown atI1 and when withdrawn under the action of solenoid l1 allows clutch boltl8to be moved forward by spring I8 to clutch stitch being drivendownwardly into and through received. Preferably the post is mounted forthe work material received beneath the head.

For certain types of work, particularly where it is desired to applystitches to the work material which is either partly or whollyfabricated or formed into shape and hence not in flat or sheet formWhere it can be handled by a stitching machine incorporating a fixedar-m, it becomes desirable to utilize a machine incorporating a post,over which thework material can be adjustable movement so that it can bewithdrawn to a forwardposition clear of the stitcher head for receivingand discharging the work material, and returned to a rearward oroperative position where the post together with the work supportedthereon are moved into position directly beneath the stitching head.Such movement is conveniently effected by the pivoting of the post sothat it swings forward to an inclined position where the work can betelescoped or otherwise conveniently positioned over the upper endthereof, the post being then returned with a, swinging movement to itsupright position where the work is supported in proper position 1beneath the head, ifOI receiving the stitch.

To provide for mounting the post for such adjusting movement, the baseIn of the machine is formed at its forward end with an integral bracketportion 25 with a shaft consisting of a relatively heavy rod 26 beingpassed through the spaced arms of the bracket, the shaft extendingbeyond the arms of the bracket and providing spaced overhanging endportions at either side thereof.

Thebase of the postassembly comprises a yoke 28 of relatively heavyconstruction, preferably of cast metal so that along. with the heavycast base, pedestal and head construction above described, a firm andrigid supporting structure is provided. The yoke 28 is formed withlaterally-projecting extensionsze which are internally bored to providebearings adapted to be received over the ends ofshaft'26, to pivotallysupport the yokethereon. Aswill be apparent from the drawing the twobearings thus provided for the yoke are each spaced a substantialdistance laterally of the central vertical axis of the post, therebyproviding a firm and rigid support for the post, capable of preventinglateral shifting and giving adequate supportto the post in the course ofthe operation of themachine,

The outwardly spaced location of the bearings also makes it possible toadjust the position of the.

post and to maintain that adjustment with a high degree of accuracy. Theyoke 28 is 21S0DT0=H2 videcl with a rearwardly extendingweb portion 353preferably formed integrallytherewith SllQhBXw- I tending portion 30threadedly receivesan adjust ing bolt 32 formed in a. suitable bossthereon, the bolt extending through the boss into position where itshead comes in contact with the upper face 33 of the base portion of themachine,- .Ihe

bolt therefore serves as a stop to limit the movement of the post intoits operative position, The

postrmay if desired carry an internalclincher.

plunger ,35 which is suitably actuatfidfrozn. pull rod-35 extendingthrough the base, and driven through bell crank lever 31 from rod 323,in response to the tripping of the clutch mechanism I! in the course ofthe formation of the stitch. The mechanism as thus described issimilarto that shown-and described in applicants copend-v ingapplication Serial No. 433,908, filedAp'ril 21, 1943, now Patent No.2,391,488, granted Decernber 25, 1945..

In order to provide for the power actuationof the post from its forwardinoperative position to its upright operative position, mechanism is positioned in the base of the machine for effecting this operation underthe control of the operator. This mechanisrnc0mprises a toggle mechanismhich is so a ranged to Operate w t an increasing mechanical advantage asthe .post is brought toward and into its final operative pos'ie tion, tobalance the forces which are effective upon the post, and also to assurethe movement of the post to its-operative pOSitionw'ith the maxi,- mumspeed andyet without producing a bump or a sudden jar which mightdisplacethe work.

material previously located upon the-post. The toggle mechanismalso-provides'for the locking of the post in its operative position sothat it is firmly and securely held therein during theape p i ation-ofth s t h an s instthe eact on forces which may-be developed in responseto e t e the f rm n and drivin o the stitch or the operation of theclincher plungen-or both;

For this purpose, the yoke 28 is formed with d n a yand in ardly extndin pa i! in which there is mounted a crossv pin 4;! to which there isconnected the link 42. This l inkhas a threaded end'in which there isreoeived,member as, having its-opposite ends 44 and 45 threaded,

End 44 is adjustably received in link-42 and-end 45 is adjustablyreceived in a Socket member- Ock nut 41 providin .forsecurin th member4.3 in a predetermined position of 'adiustment.-.

Within the bifurcated arms 48. of a, lever -5.!, to

which it is attached by a p n. 51 which travel Hr. wardlywhen the toggleis broken.

Lever. an is .pivotally mounted n 91. 1.52 supported in bearing:members- 53 fo med in th baseof the. machine, the oppositeendof thelever being connectedby pin .54. to an armature plunger;

The solenoid has a winding 51, a central core 58, and a base orsupporting plate 59, the latter providing for the supporting of thesolenoid in posi tion to permit of the swinging thereof as required toaccommodate the lateral displacement of the armature 55 in response tothe .rockingmovement of lever 50.

The base of the solenoid 59 is supported from an arm 6! which is freelyrotatably mounted upon an eccentric shaft .portion 62 which is formedintegrally with the main shaft having parts 63 and 64, both of whichparts are concentricallylformed with respect to the supportingbaseuinwhichthey are mounted. An adjusting diskfilj mountedon the outerend of shaft portion 53, being exposed on the base as shown in Fig.1 sothat it is accessible for adjustment by theruser; and is removablyretained in any predetermined adjusted position by means of a clampingmember 67 which may be bolted into 'clamping position by means of bolt68;

From the above it will be clear that upon the loosening of the clamp 61,the disk 66 may be rotated as desired, this rotation in turn causing therotation .of the eccentric portion 62 which will provide for raising orloweringof the solenoid with respect to armature 55,. the solenoid.

at all times being free. to rock about the shaft portion 62 toaccommodate itself to the movement of the armature. However by'makingthe adjust.- ment as above described, the armature .55 can be made tobottom or seat itself accurately within the solenoid at the positionwhere the togglehas beenlocked, thus assuring the secure and firmholding of the post in its operative position and.

at the same time obtaining an absence of chatter' or noise inthesolenoid, and reduc'ingthe necessary expenditure of electrical.energyin the. solenoid coil to a minimum so that. it will not.

objectionably heat up.

Thetogsle mechanism is preferably .adiusted.

so that in response .to the energization of the.

position there. is no possibility of loose play or any freedom ofmovement of the post, the basegthe post bracket and all partSOf theactuating irneehanismbeingstressed in compression.

Upon deenerg'ization of the solenoid, the toggle. is broken bymeans of aspringlo, whichcarries the toggle beyond the lockedpositionaandthereafter the post is returned to its inoperative position under theaction-of a spring :12. through which extends :rod 13, 1 having pivotal.connec-.-z

tionas shown at M to a bracket 15 formed-as a part o t e yo e Thoppositaendoi the rod pas es r ugh n p rture It in h nset surface .33 ofthe base of the machine, and the. end f sp n 1 s a sed a as n' t awash:

er 1.1 l oseonred -3- a dw h' n g s- 1 we tatable -pin 1-8 in thebase,-so that the force of xnansi ni f s rin -12. will ceu e-th rost t swinawa i fr m: its upri ht operativ ncsitien nd into itso war y: inc inedand; ino erati e:

posi ion;

It w lb ar ir mt e a v that-as th -n is moved upwardly into itsvoperative position,

the force of the spring 12 opposing that movement increases. through thetoggle mechanism with a progressively increasing mechanical advantage,so that it overbalances the increasing resistance and provides for aquick and yet smoothly controlled upward lifting movement of thepostwhich gradually diminishes without abrupt shock to its finalposition of rest at which it is 'fully raised and locked, ready for thestitching operation to be performed.

Controlof the operation of the machine is preferably effected from asingle control mechanism which may take the form of a pedal operatedswitch indicated at 80. The pedal 8i has an upper position indicated bydotted line 82 to which it is spring urged, and in which the circuits toboth the solenoid and the clutch pin for controlling the stitcher head,are deenergized. Whenthe pedal is moved downward to the dotted line.position indicated at 83, the first operation is that of energizing thesolenoid 58, to raise the post to its operative position. The pedal maythen be pressed to the further lowered position indicated by dotted line84 in response to which the stitcher head is actuated to cause theformation of a stitch. Further where more than one stitch is desired,the pedal may be moved between the positions 83 and 84, resulting in theformation of one stitch for each downward movement of the pedal, whileretaining the post at all times in its operative position and assuringagainst repeat stitches even though the pedal be held down, theincorporation of suchnon-repeat feature being optional.

It is highly important to assure that even when the pedal is immediatelydepressed to its lowermost position indicated at 84, the stitcher headwill not operate until the post has been brought into its finaloperative position, as otherwise it will be possible for the stitcherhead to begin functioning to form and drive a stitch before the post hadbeen moved to its operative position, thereby endangering both the workand the operator. In accordance with the present invention means areprovided which require that the post be in its full operative positionbefore any actuation of the stitcher head can occur.

This means is represented in the control circuit shown in Fig. 4. Inthis diagrammatic view the two opposite sides of the line are shown atL--l and L-2 respectively, the treadle bein shown at 8|, being opposedby the two springs 90 and 9| which provide an indication to the operatorsothat he can sense the position of the treadle and properly effect thecontrol for the forming of the stitches. Spring 90 normally holds thetreadle in the absence of any pressure 7 in the upper position indicatedat 82, in which the normally closed switch 93 is held in open circuitposition. This switch is in the circuit of the post solenoid 51 so thatwhen the treadle is free, such solenoid is deenergized.

Upon partial depression of treadle 8!, however, to the level indicatedat 83 where spring 90 is partially compressed and the treadle is broughtinto initial contact with spring M, the spring 9d provides for theclosing of switch 93 and the first operation that takes place is theenergization of solenoid 51 which provides for the movement of the postto its upper position through the mechanism already described. Uponcompletion of that movement, an interlocking part 96 which may beactuated in any suitable way either from the.

armature 55, or from some convenient part of However the solenoidoperates the toggle mechanism, is caused to engage a normally openswitch 91. This switch is closed and a circuit is thus prepared forenergizing the clutch trip solenoid I1. The circuit through solenoid I1is not finally closed howeveruntil the treadle is depressed to itslowermost position, i. e. thelevel indicated at 84, at which time bothsprings 90 and 9| are depressed. Thereupon contacts 98 are engaged bythe treadle and aremoved from their upper position to their lower closedposition, thereby completing the circuit for the energization of thetripsolenoid l1, and the stitch is then formed and driven.-

In order to prevent repeat operations in case the foot treadle is leftin its lowered position, an interlocking connection is made through thenormally closed micro switch 10, that switch being opened in response tothe tripping of the clutch, therebydeenergizing solenoid NH, and openingthe circuit at contacts 102 so that the trip solenoid ll cannot-be againenergized until there has been a subsequent release of the foot treadlefrom position 84 to position 83. In such position with contacts. 98 intheir upper position, a circuit is reestablished for relay It I so thata subsequent depression of the treadle to its lowermost position willprovide for a further stitching operation while the post is retained inits raised operative position. The non-repeat mechanism is described inthe patentto John F. Haunty,.Patent No. 2,324,080, assigned to the sameassignee as. this application. i

, While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferredembodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to this precise form of apparatus, andthat changes may bemade therein without departing from the scope of the invention which isdefined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

'-1.-In.a stitching machine having a stitcher head, a base, a'postadjustably mounted on said base, pivotal means for mounting saidpost providing for movement thereof from an inoperative position to anoperative position beneath said head, a toggle'mechanism connecting withsaid post and operative to cause pivotal movementthereof from itsinoperative to its said operative position and to lock said post firmlyin its said operative position, and an electric solenoid connected toone arm of said toggle mechanism for effecting said operation thereof.

2. In a stitching machine having'a stitcher head, a base, a postadjustablymounted on said base and-movable from an inoperative positionto an operative position beneath said head, toggle mechanism for movingsaid post from its inoperative to its operative position and for lockingsaid post in the latter position, a solenoid having an armature foroperating said toggle mechanism, and means for adjusting the position ofsaid solenoid to provide for the accurate seating of said armature whensaid toggle mechanism is in locked position.

3. In a stitching machine having a stitcher head, a base, a postadjustably mounted on said base and movable from an inoperative positionto an operative position beneath said head, toggle mechanism for movingsaid post from its inoperative to its operative position and for lockingsaid post in the latter position, a solenoid for operating said togglemechanism, and means for supporting said solenoid including anadjustable eccentric member for supporting said solenoid in adjustableposition upon said base to provide for some the:acenratei seatingaofasaidaarmatnre'a i'therein when saidaiiogglermechanismis inioekedipositionir 4. Ida stitching machine havinaa sti-tcher said. postto its operative position-againstthereasistance -.of said a resilientrmeans; and-1a toggle mechanism connectingasaidtpower actiiated'means.with said post fortdeveloping an increasingzioree to move said post: toitsoperative position over coming. the resistance, r of said. resilientmeans,

saidtoegletmechanismvibeingsubstantiallynlocked in .the;iu1i operative-:position ;c-f said post; 5. Inia stitching machine. havingztastitcher.

head; a hase.,::a post-adjustable: mountedonssaid basevand movable froman: inoperative =to an-rope erative position beneath saidihead,tog iemeflhas nism for moving: said post from its:.inoperative toits-operative position-.and:-:for locking the-post'in the latterposition, v resilient means for returning said :post. to :inoperative'positi'oma solenoid ifor' operatingisaid; toggle mechanisrntto move thepost.

to its operative position; and resilient means for engagingz-said-toggiemechanism to breakthe toga gleactionnpon deenergiza-tion ofsaidrsolenoid to provide for return of ,csaidapostto its inonera tiveposition :under the action of :said resilient means forreleaeablyretaining saidadiusting mechanism in a predeterminedposition of red-J'ustment."

7. In a stitchingrmaohinehaving-a base and a stitcher-headsupported-thereon, theacombination or .a POStffidjHSfifib yvminimizedonV-said. base azrdmovableirom aninoperative to an vpera/timeposition beneath said head; power actuatedme ns for moving said: posttrom'it inoperative to :its operative positions-means under the eontrolof the. oper rsi n causing the operations-of said Stitcher head; meansnormally preventingrtheeration .of aid. stitcher head .mmtii said a postis in sa;id:;ful=1u operative position, :andinterlocking:

means :oonstrncted and arranged to operate when said post movesintoits:.fu11iope1:ative positioniori disabling. :saiddpreventing: means :toprovide trier operationcof said stitchershead'nndenthe; centroiof .t'heseparators-.1 i

8. Inca stitching machinehaving: a base andta' stitcherihead supportedthereon; the combination of :a postadjustably mounted on said basena-ndtmovable 1 from .panr inoperative :positionsto an i-ope erative positionbeneath said head, power (813ml! atedimeans for moving said post fromits! inoperative ;to 'it operative position,- operator iactue ated(means 1 for controlling said .power actuated means'to move said post:to its1:operativezposi-- tion andyfor' controlling theioperation; of:said.

stitcher head, means normally; arranged for rpreventing said voperationof the .stitcher headeexa cept when: said :post a is in its fulloperative ape. sition; and: interlocking meansrconstructed. andarrangedstotoperateponly when said post; moves into itsfuil operativeposition zforsdisa-b'ling; said preventing means to I provide foroperation of said stitcherU-head under the control of thexopaerator. r

9. In' 'a stitching machine havinga stitchen head, a base; a post.adjustably mounted on: said base and movable from aniinope'rative:position to an operative position. beneath said-lheadea sole noid'foreffectingmovement of said post-. from its inoperative to itsoperative position when en ergized electric control means for causing.the,

operation of said-stitcher headuwhen energized,- manual controlmeans-foif energizing both said, solenoid and said electric controlmeans, a nor-e maily open switch in circuitbetween said electric controlmeansand said manual-control means preventing-the energ-ization of saidelectric con=. trol means except when said post has been moved fully-toits operat-ive position; and interlocking: means arranged' to'operateonly upon icomple Mon-of movementof saidpost-=to itsqoperat-ive positionto connect saidswitch in closed circuit with said electric control:means;-

Number 1 Name- Y 1,108,133 Casgrain' Aug.1:25,-:1914 1,802,822 MaynardAp1-'..::28,:19B.1' 2,347,908 Hoffert May ,2, 194.4

